


Seven Minutes in Heaven

by urfavtrash



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexual Ricky Bowen (HSM: The Series), High School, House Party, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Questioning, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, Shirtless, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:14:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21657367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/urfavtrash/pseuds/urfavtrash
Summary: EJ and Ashlyn's parents are away for the weekend, so EJ has a little party.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & E.J. Caswell, Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Comments: 22
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> MY FIRST A03 FIC?? yee yee hope you enjoy

"Ashlyn! Open the door!" EJ yells as the doorbell rings incessantly. When he doesn't get a response, he groans, abandoning the drinks he's sorting out on the kitchen counter and dashing to the door. The voices of the theatre kids outside the house are so loud that EJ can't even hear himself think.

EJ opens the door, and immediately, more than a dozen people come into the house, forcing EJ behind the door as he holds it open.

"My God, no music playing? I have to fix this, let's find the stereo," Carlos tells Gina, before pulling her to the living room. The rest of the theatre cast goes to explore the main level of the house. Nini is the last one to come through, and she smiles at EJ. He can only smile back. He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what.

The awkward silence between them is deafening.

"Am I late? Hi Nini- am I late?"

EJ rolls his eyes and sighs, looking behind to see Ricky. His hair is dishevelled as usual, with his skateboard in hand and backpack half-open. _Great,_ EJ thinks, _of course, this fool is here._

"Ricky, no, you're not. Everyone just arrived," Nini replies, touching Ricky's shoulder before heading inside, leaving EJ with Ricky.

It takes all of EJ not to go feral and punch Ricky in the face. Sure, he doesn't hate him, but he doesn't like him either. EJ, who's repented from all the shitty mistakes he did in the past, still has a small part of him that wants to be with Nini. But he can't, because Ricky is with her, and he hates that.

Well, EJ doesn't actually know if Nini and Ricky are an item, but they sure do act like it.

"Hurry up and come in, I'm letting in the cold air." Ricky nods meekly, avoiding eye contact with EJ and making a beeline for Big Red. EJ closes the door, right as rap music begins to blast throughout the house. Not exactly his taste, but everyone else seems to like it.

Ashlyn comes down the stairs carrying an empty bottle, and when she sees everyone, she yells, "Everyone to the living room, we're playing games first!"

Everyone else seems to be excited about this, but not EJ. He likes games, but not the kind made up by teenagers. There are no proper rules, and there's always some form of kissing.

Not that he was terrible at kissing, but EJ didn't want to be forced to kiss some classmate he had no romantic connection with.

EJ takes a cup of an alcoholic concoction he made from the kitchen and goes into the living room like everyone else is. There are a few empty spots left on the couch, but those are taken almost immediately, and the only place left is... Next to Ricky.

EJ swears under his breath, before plopping down on the couch, leaning away from Ricky. Ricky seems just as uncomfortable, moving closer to Big Red.

"Okay, everyone, I'll be explaining the game! This is a mashup of Truth or Dare, and Seven Minutes in Heaven. I'll spin the bottle first, and then whoever it lands on will have to choose if they want a Truth or Dare. If they don't want to answer the question or do the dare, the person the bottle landed on will have to spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on, they have to spend seven minutes in the coat closet with! Everyone got it?"

"Girl, that explanation gave me a headache, and this game is going to cause so much drama," Carlos admits, "but, it's going to be so much fun! Let's go."

Ashlyn deviously wiggles her eyebrows, before spinning the bottle hard. Everyone seems to wait with bated breath, watching the bottle spin until it pauses, right in front of Nini. Nini grins, leaning forward in her seat. "Alright, dare, Ashlyn, but nothing too embarrassing."

"Okay, I want you to... do a weird accent until your next turn."

Nini clears her throat before nodding. "That won't be a problem, partner," she drawls, in a thick Southern accent, "now, let me spin that diddly darned bottle!"

The game goes on for the next hour, and everyone gets the chance to embarrass themselves. Gina dares Carlos to do a freestyle dance routine with Seb, which is too cute for everyone to handle, the two stumbling and laughing their way through it. Kourtney finally spills about the time she and Nini stole (almost) all of Gina's things as revenge - which makes everyone die with laughter. Big Red asks Ricky about the last thing he searched on Google, which is revealed to be ''Nicki Minaj big boobs meme". It's at this point that Ricky's face goes so red that it almost matches the colour of the cups.

The bottle finally lands on EJ, after Seb spins it, and EJ chooses to do a dare. Seb grins, clapping his hands together.

"I dare you to run around the neighbourhood in only your underwear." There's a collective groan from the entire room.

"Oh my god, Seb! You thirsty bitch!" Carlos yells jokingly.

"I'm not done yet! We all have to choose someone for EJ to do it with!"

 _For the love of God,_ EJ thinks, _please, anyone but-_

"Ricky!" Nini suddenly yells. Ricky clenches his jaw and stares at her with such intensity that his eyeballs might pop out. Unfortunately, the damage is done; everyone seems to agree with her.

EJ glances at Ricky, who leans back into the couch. He looks so uncomfortable to the point that he might explode on the spot; after all, he's been embarrassed enough. Maybe EJ should choose to spin the bottle and spend seven minutes in the closet doing nothing.

"Let's do it."

EJ is surprised by Ricky's sudden agreement to doing such a ridiculous dare. Everyone cheers and yells, as EJ and Ricky get pulled out of the living room by the small crowd. EJ's already pulling his shirt off, while Ricky slowly unbuttons his. EJ feels a bit weird at having to strip in front of everyone, but he's not naked; he still has his boxers on.

EJ still hasn't even looked at Ricky by the time they step out of the house, most of their clothes gone. Ashlyn and a few others get into EJ's car - probably to make sure they run around the entire neighbourhood, while the rest crowd in the entrance, their phones out. The cold air hits EJ like a ton of bricks, rubbing his hands together to keep warm.

"You cold, Caswell?"

EJ turns to look at Ricky, wanting to reply with a sarcastic remark, but then he _sees_ Ricky and freezes at the last second, merely humming in response.

Ricky is smiling in a way that, EJ hates to admit, is cute. His stupid, infectious smile reaches his eyes as he looks up at the sky, purposely breathing heavily so he can see his breath. Ricky's entire body is visibly shivering, arms covering his chest, but he looks happy.

EJ shakes his head, forcing himself to think about anything _but_ how cute Ricky Bowen is, because, honestly, what the hell?

The car pulls out of the driveway, and EJ stretches his arms before he makes eye contact with Ricky. They manage to understand each other with just a look, and together, the two sprint off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time that EJ and Ricky have finished their dare, it's been only five minutes - despite how big the neighbourhood is, EJ is fit. He is, after all, captain of the water polo team, and a big fan of the exercise. A quick run around the neighbourhood is nothing to him.

Unfortunately, Ricky does not feel the same way.

Everyone is cheering and congratulating the two as they go back into the warmth of EJ's home. EJ is beaming, relishing in the compliments, while Ricky immediately flops onto the floor. The crowd begins to dissipate, breaking off to go to different parts of the house again, and that's when EJ notices Ricky's half-naked body leaning against the door of the closet.

EJ feels bad - no, scratch that, he feels _terrible._

EJ squats down to Ricky's level after slipping on his pants, softly tapping his shoulder. "Ricky?" he whispers, only getting hum in response from Ricky. EJ lets out a heavy breath and slowly helps him up on his feet, feeling how cold he is - he's ice.

"Shit, " EJ mumbles, and discreetly leads Ricky to the kitchen, texting Big Red to come help. EJ tries to ignore the fact that they're still half-naked, and how Ricky is slightly leaning into his bare chest.

EJ sits Ricky down on a chair and fetches him a glass of warm water, right as Big Red joins them. He throws EJ a wary glance, before going to get Ricky's clothes. Ricky takes the water without a second thought, emptying the cup in one go, and beckons for more.

"Do you know what's wrong with Ricky?" EJ asks quietly when Big Red comes back.

"Well..." Big Red hesitates, "Ricky hasn't been doing well this week. I'm sure you know of his family problems."

EJ nods. "What's that have to do with this?"

"Well, his parents are having... issues again," Big Red admits, "He's been stressing about it, and when that happens, he forgets to do a lot of things. That includes his necessities, like getting sleep, or eating, or drinking. I think running around in the cold half-naked doesn't help his health either."

EJ doesn't know what he _should_ say, but all he can give for the moment is a single "oh".

Suddenly, Ricky stands up by himself and grabs the clothes from Big Red's grip. He puts on his jeans, then lazily buttons up his flannel shirt, which he is doing wrong - he's skipped a button, so his shirt looks funny, but EJ can't bring himself to say anything.

Nini comes into the kitchen, filling her cup up with soda. She doesn't realise right away that the three boys are looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

Nini still doesn't take notice after she takes a sip of her drink, and adds more soda to the cup, so EJ clears his throat - loud enough for her to jump in surprise. She looks ready to drop kick EJ, but her eyes shift to Ricky, and immediately, she engulfs him in a hug.

"Aw, Ricky, you don't look so good."

"It happened again," Big Red says, and Nini nods, before breaking away from the hug.

"Are you feeling okay?" Nini says softly.

"I don't think I can go home. I- I don't want to go home, Nini. My dad suddenly went to Chicago today, probably to fight with my mom in person about custody. I- I'm sorry."

EJ can see that a few people are starting to take notice of Ricky's mini-breakdown, and, while EJ himself loves being the centre of attention, now is not one of those times. Also, it isn't fair for Ricky to have people watch him air his dirty laundry.

"Ricky, if you want, you can go to my room and rest until the party ends," EJ offers, "but only if you want to."

Ricky looks at Nini, then Big Red, and then EJ. The slightest him of a smile appears on his lips, but it's gone just as fast as it appeared, and Ricky averts his eyes to the ground.

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

After a little discussion, Nini and Big Red decide to help Ricky to EJ's room - Nini knows where it is. While they do that, EJ will continue to keep the party running. When the two help Ricky up the stairs, EJ wants to watch. He wants to make sure nothing goes wrong, but then someone yells his name, and he has to abandon that idea.

°°°

The party is back in full swing after ten minutes, and the group is continuing to play Ashlyn's ridiculous game. Nini and Big Red have joined, so EJ assumes that Ricky is well enough to be on his own.

The game has finally claimed it's the first victim for Seven Minutes in Heaven. Carlos doesn't want to show everyone any of his top-secret dances that he's been working on for months for the new school play next year, so he spins the bottle. It lands on Seb, and Carlos is _pleased_ about that. After all, Carlos and Seb are boyfriends.

EJ leans back into a comfortable corner of the couch, right as his phone buzzes. He ignores it, but then it vibrates again, and _again_ , _and again-_

EJ picks up his phone, seeing that all of the messages are from Ricky. They're poorly written, laced with grammatical errors, but EJ gets the gist of it: Ricky wants to talk to him.

**_ricky:_ ** _hey very tired n shij_

**_ricky:_ ** _cancu come up_

**_ricky:_ ** _sorry for bad writing i tired n lazy_

**_ricky:_ ** _n_ _eed 2 tak to uuuuuuu_

**_ricky:_ ** _don tell nono or big red_

EJ looks up from his phone; no one seems to be paying attention to him. So, he slips away from the living room and heads up to his room, the music growing fainter and fainter.

EJ's room is dark, only the lamp dimly illuminating the room. He spots a figure lying down on the edge of the bed. EJ knows it's Ricky, and he doesn't mind, but he wishes the boy would lie on the bed properly. After all, he _is_ dangerously close to falling off the bed.

"Oh, EJ, it's you," Ricky mumbles as he sits up. EJ clears his throat, feeling a bit awkward; he doesn't know where to sit.

"You don't have to stand a mile away from me. I'm not sick."

EJ's face heats up. "Oh, uh, sorry."

EJ takes a seat on the bed next to Ricky, but there's still a lot of space between them. They stay like that for a minute, just in silence, until Ricky speaks.

"I don't know why I called you up here, honestly."

EJ turns to Ricky, seeing how his eyes are glistening with tears.

"It's okay," EJ reassures him. Then, Ricky's shoulders sag in defeat, and he bursts out into a sob.

Shit.

EJ's hands fly to the tissue box on the bedside table, and he sets it besides Ricky. What is he supposed to do- what should he do?

"Ricky, I know we're not close, but you can talk to me."

Ricky suddenly lets out a humourless laugh, tears still flowing. "Oh? Because you totally like me and care about me. Like, all of that Nini drama _didn't_ happen."

Ricky's words are harsh and a blow to EJ's ego. Nevertheless, EJ manages to keep his composure, keeping his neutral expression. Ricky is hurting, and what he's saying isn't all wrong.

"Yeah. I'm not the best person. But right now, I'm here, so if you want to talk, all you've got is me."

Ricky frowns, tears staining his cheeks. "I'm sorry, that was mean. I'm a big disaster."

EJ can't tell if Ricky is shaking from the crying or shivering from the cold, but he stands up and goes to his closet, picking out his thick red varsity jacket. He puts it in front of Ricky, next to the tissue box.

"You look cold. Wear it if you want."

Ricky sniffles, looking at EJ hesitantly, before taking the jacket. He slips it on, hugging it tightly to his body, and smiles at EJ, although it's a tiny one. EJ can't help but smile back. The two stay like that for a few seconds, before Ricky turns away, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

EJ scratches the back of his head. "Listen, I was serious when I said you could talk to me. It'll make you feel better."

"Yeah, maybe. I guess it would be helpful to not only talk to Nini or Big Red about my problems. I know what they're going to say, but you..." Ricky pauses, "are a wild card."

EJ gulps.

"Well, alright, Ricky Bowen, bring it on."

"This isn't a competition, EJ."

"Oh, my bad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i felt the pacing of this chapter was a bit funny but fuck it im gonna post it and ajaidijskdbvd hope y'all liked it


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wrote a lot but then it didn't make sense so i deleted it and anyway here's the new chapter after an entire month
> 
> listen to this if you want while reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEyzoFwsBZs

For once in his life, EJ is having a serious conversation with Ricky. Not because he has to, but because he wants to. He tries to ignore the music from downstairs as Ricky begins to speak.

"So, for context, my parents are getting divorced. My dad lives here, and my mom is staying in Chicago, for now at least. Sometimes they're cool, and then sometimes they get in these big arguments about me that make me want to leave. Get on my stupid skateboard and skate off into the sunset."

"You wouldn't get very far. It's a cheap skateboard, not a truck." Ricky whips his head to glare at EJ, shutting him up.

"Anyway, I don't know what to do. I tried to ignore everything and focus on school, but that didn't work. Nini said to communicate with my parents and let them know how I feel - that worked for a few weeks, and then they began to use my words against each other."

Ricky looks down at the jacket, picking at the ends of the sleeves that are way too long. He lets out a shaky breath before he can speak again. "I'm so tired, just, both mentally and physically, you know?

"What's the point of trying to live a good life if the people around me are unhappy? What's the point of trying to fix something that's been supposedly damaged for years?"

"Ricky..."

Ricky sniffles, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "Right, sorry. I look pathetic right now. You must be pretty happy."

EJ hangs his arm around Ricky's shoulders. It feels strange, unfamiliar, even though he and Ricky had to do stuff like this when they were acting as Chad and Troy.

"I don't take joy, or I don't take joy anymore, in people's pain. Your problems are important, even if they feel small and insignificant to everything else. It's good that you're talking with your friends about your problems. Because, otherwise, it keeps on building up, and things get worse, and then..."

"Then," Ricky interrupts, "you make a rash decision and decide to do a stupid dare running half-naked in the cold when you haven't slept or eaten properly in days, and end up having a very quiet mental breakdown."

It's not funny at all, but EJ chuckles at that. "Yeah, some do that to cope.

"My point is, it's good that you can talk to your friends, but, not to be critical, I think that you accidentally did something wrong, and that's okay. We should go to the root of the problem, which is your parents. You said your confession didn't work, but what exactly did you say?"

"Ooo," Ricky raises his eyebrows, "counsellor Caswell is in the house, that's hot."

EJ's eyes go wide to the point that they might pop out. Ricky laughs immediately, slapping EJ's shoulder. "Sorry, I think I'm a tiny bit drunk. Think I accidentally took a cup with some alcohol in it."

EJ looks at the red cup right next to Ricky's leg, then looks back at him, realising how red his cheeks and nose look.

"Anyway," EJ continues, trying to forget Ricky's little moment of drunk flirtation, "what did you say to them?"

"Oh, you know, that I didn't want to go with Mom to Chicago and I wanted us to be a happy family, and then I also, kind of, scolded my dad for not being a better husband. They stopped fighting for a bit, but then when it came to working out the conditions of the divorce, they used my own words against each other!"

"Well, to be fair, you could've put it in better terms-"

"EJ!" Ricky whines, shrugging EJ's arm off his shoulders in disbelief.

"I know it's not what you want to hear at all, but you need to hear it. Of course, if you have a heated argument, you're just spitting out what you're feeling, and that's fair. But, you could try again, and _this time_ have a plan. Maybe not pit your parents against each other this time?"

Ricky sighs, his body sinking back into the mattress. "Fuck."'

It's silent for a few more seconds, but it feels like hours. The music from downstairs faintly reverberates through the room, only amplifying the strange feeling that EJ suddenly feels, so he decides to move before he starts getting all in his head.

EJ's not sure if what he does is a good idea.

Hesitantly, he lies down next to Ricky, staring at the ceiling with him. It's silent until Ricky lets out another sigh, prompting EJ to speak.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm hanging out with you in my room on a Friday night."

"You and me both, EJ. You and me both."

EJ turns to look at Ricky, who does the same, and that's when EJ realises that their faces are only a few inches apart. It only lasts a second, EJ whipping his head away to look at the ceiling.

"So what do we do now?"

"Ricky, you can go back down if you want," EJ murmurs.

"Yeah, I don't want to go back down. I'm kind of, uh, embarrassed?" Ricky admits, lifting his head to look at EJ, "I was a mess."

EJ laughs. "Are you feeling okay now, at least? Because I don't want you putting yourself in more uncomfortable situations. And, if you do want to go down, I promise, I'll say that you weren't feeling well. No one will know a thing."

Ricky looks at EJ for a few seconds, and it doesn't make EJ uncomfortable, but rather curious as to what Ricky could be thinking. It's like he can see the wheels in Ricky's head turn, but not what thoughts he actually has, and it's a bit frustrating.

"That means a lot. Thanks, EJ."

Ricky literally jumps up from the bed, stretching, before pulling off EJ's jacket. It makes EJ's heart sink a little, but he keeps his smile plastered on his face.

"You know what? Just give me some water, and I'm good to go. After all, it's only eleven. The night is still young."

EJ shakes his head, smirking at Ricky's enthusiasm as he grabs the water bottle by his bedside. Their fingertips brush each other's for a moment, but it's enough to make EJ's heart quicken.

Ricky takes a few sips, then tosses the bottle onto the bed, shaking his head vigorously for God knows what reason. He grins so widely that EJ almost forgets that, just a few minutes ago, Ricky was sickly and having a mental breakdown.

"Ready to head back down?" Ricky yells once the door is opening, the music now at a dangerously high level.

EJ grabs his jacket and slides it back on, now realising that he can smell the smallest hint of mint on his coat. Which means, now, his varsity jacket has a fragment of Ricky, and he can't help but like that.

Ricky wore his jacket, and now he can't wash it.

"After you, Ricky," EJ responds, and Ricky heads on down first, leaving EJ with a question that he doesn't want to answer. It's a question that's suddenly appeared after his small interactions with Ricky tonight. It was never this fast with Nini.

_Does EJ like Ricky?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked it pls leave a kudos lol


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